A California woman, who reportedly admitted drowning her 4-year-old grandson, flashed a wide smile during a preliminary court appearance.

Dawn Diana Raines-Hewes faces a murder charge for drowning Richard Kite while she was watching the boy and his sisters on Dec. 29, police said.

Photos of the Jan. 7 hearing showed the 51-year-old grandmother wearing a neutral expression as she was escorted, shackled, into the courtroom. After she was seated, the accused murderer was photographed with a broad smile on her face while speaking with her attorneys.

Raines-Hewes was in court for a preliminary hearing in the case. The murder charge carries a potential sentence of 25 years to life, and Raines-Hewes has been in custody at Solano County Jail without bail because she allegedly admitted she killed her grandson, the Daily Mail reported.

A trial date has not been set yet.

In the original incident, Raines-Hewes caught the attention of neighbors when she ran screaming out of her house. When her neighbors went inside, they found the soaked and unconscious 4-year-old in a hallway and called 911. Responding police and paramedics tried unsuccessfully to resuscitate Richard, and the boy died at a local trauma center after he was rushed there by ambulance, the Daily Republic reported.